In computer systems, there is always the possibility of a fire or other extreme temperature condition. Such extreme conditions can occur because of a problem internal to the computer, or they may occur as a result of events taking place outside the computer housing.
Regardless of where the high temperature event occurs, the results can be devastating to data being worked on by the computer. In a typical scenario, as the temperature rises, the computer's control system begins to sense a problem and reacts by trying to cool the equipment. This could, for example, be by running the cooling fan faster and faster. At some point, the internal control system cannot keep up with the cooling requirements for the computer and the system either turns off or continues to function until it becomes disabled. In either event, data that has not been stored is either lost or stored in a temporary file which then must be recovered when the system is restarted.
In some situations, the computer internal control, upon sensing a problem, signals a user so that the user may then take protective action. If this signaling is done too soon, the user is encouraged to take premature action when, in fact, no action would have been required. On the other hand, if the system waits too long to inform the user of a pending temperature problem, the user may not have enough time to react properly (or may react improperly) and valuable data will be lost. Also, in many situations, data is being worked on by a computer, or computer system, without the presence of a user. In such cases, notification of a pending trouble condition is of no effect.